Dispersing fragrances

ABSTRACT

A fragrance disperser in one form includes a single fan that passes air over a wicked single or double fragrance. A second form has the fan reversible to provide two different airstreams that evaporate respective different fragrances one after the other. Where two fragrances are provided, the evaporation may be by respective electrical heaters. A fragrance source may be formed by two sheets joined together to form two chambers each receiving a respective wick and having respective exposed wick portions. The source may incorporate a source of electrical power. An alternative source has a reservoir for fragrance and a wick located in an air passage forming part of the source so that an air flow is guided through the passage past the wick to evaporate fragrance. Where two fragrances are provided, the fragrance sources may be located side-by-side and matching fragrances may have, for example, matching indicia on the sources so that the match can be easily determined visually.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/028,096filed Feb. 8, 2008; which is a divisional of application Ser. No.10/491,718, filed Aug. 5, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,344,123, issued:Mar. 18, 2008 (which are hereby incorporated by reference).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to fragrance dispersers, fragrance sources andfragrance containers.

Fragrance dispersers are used to release one or more fragrances into anenclosed space such as a room. In general, the fragrance is held by afragrance source and released either by natural convection or by forcedconvection or by heating a wick or pad, for example, holding thefragrance.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided afragrance disperser comprising a source of fragrance and means forgenerating a flow of air to release said fragrance.

One form of fragrance source is a container containing a liquidfragrance. The fragrance is released by a convection air current passingacross an outlet for the fragrance. It is a problem that this does notprovide a directed flow of air.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided afragrance container comprising a reservoir for receiving a liquidfragrance and an outlet to the reservoir, the outlet defining a path fora flow of air to release fragrance in the reservoir.

Many fragrance sources are complicated to manufacture including separatecontainers and wicks.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided afragrance source comprising a back sheet and a front sheet with awicking material therebetween the back sheet and the front sheet beingjoined together along a closed line to define a reservoir for fragrance,a portion of the wicking material being exposable outside the closedline for releasing the fragrance, the join being such as to allow thewicking material to wick fragrance from the reservoir to the exposableportion.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided afragrance disperser comprising two sources of fragrance, means fordispersing fragrance from said sources and a control system forcontrolling said dispersing means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following is a more detailed description of some embodiments of theinvention, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front elevation of a first form of fragrancedisperser, a front cover of the disperser being removed to show a fan ofthe disperser and a fragrance source, the fan rotating in a first sense,

FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1 but showing the fan rotating in anopposite sense,

FIG. 3 is a cut-away side elevation of the fragrance disperser of FIGS.1 and 2,

FIG. 4 is a section on the line A-A of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fragrance source of FIGS. 1 to 4,

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the fragrance source of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a graph of time against operational state for the fragrancedisperser of FIGS. 1 to 4,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a second form of fragrance source foruse with the fragrance disperser of FIGS. 1 and 2, two wicks of thesource being shown separated from the source for clarity,

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the second form of fragrance source ofFIG. 8,

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of a second form of fragrance disperser,and two fragrance sources,

FIG. 11 is a front elevation of the second form of fragrance disperserof FIG. 10 with a front cover removed and showing a fan rotating in onesense,

FIG. 12 is a similar view to FIG. 11 but showing the fan rotating in anopposite sense,

FIG. 13 is an internal view from above of the second form of fragrancedisperser,

FIG. 14 is a cross-section on the line B-B of FIG. 12,

FIG. 15 is a similar view to FIG. 10 showing the second fragrancedisperser provided with buttons that allow different modes of operation,

FIG. 16 is a similar view to FIG. 10 showing the second fragrancedisperser with shutters that control the volume of fragrance dispersed,

FIG. 17 corresponds to FIG. 16 but shows one of the shutters in a fullyopen position and the other in a partially closed position,

FIG. 18 is a similar view to FIG. 11 showing the second fragrancedispenser with wick cover assemblies that control the volume offragrance dispersed,

FIG. 19 corresponds to FIG. 18 but shows one of the wick covers coveringa wick to a minimum degree and the other covering another wick to amaximum degree,

FIG. 20 is a similar view to FIG. 14 but with the fragrance sourceincluding a peg and the fragrance disperser including a microswitchoperable by the peg,

FIG. 21 is a side view of a fragrance source of FIGS. 9 to 13 andincluding a peg but with the fragrance and wick removed,

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of the fan of the second form of fragrancedisperser together with a shutter,

FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-section of the fan and shutter of FIG. 22showing the parts interconnected by a frictional clutch,

FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-section of the fan and shutter of FIG. 22showing the parts interconnected by a centrifugal clutch,

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a first clutch part of the centrifugal clutchof FIG. 24,

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a second clutch part of the centrifugal clutchof FIG. 24,

FIG. 27 is a front elevation of a third form of fragrance disperser andtwo fragrance sources,

FIG. 28 is a front elevation of the third form of fragrance disperserwith a front cover removed and showing a fan rotating in one sense,

FIG. 29 is a similar view to FIG. 24 but showing the fan rotating in anopposite sense,

FIG. 30 is a cut away side elevation of the fragrance disperser of FIGS.28 and 29,

FIG. 31 is a cross-section on the line C-C of FIG. 29,

FIG. 32 is a side elevation of a fragrance source for use with the thirdforms of fragrance disperser, a cap of the source being removed,

FIG. 33 is a similar view to FIG. 32 but showing the internal structureof an outlet to the source,

FIG. 34 is a similar view to FIG. 32 but showing a flow of air throughthe outlet to the fragrance source,

FIG. 35 is a side elevation of a fragrance source of the kind shown inFIGS. 32 to 34 adjacent a second such source shown with the cap andoutlet omitted,

FIG. 36 is a side elevation of a modified form of the fragrance sourceof FIGS. 32 to 34 adjacent a second such source with the cap and outletomitted,

FIG. 37 is a schematic side elevation of a fourth form of fragrancedisperser including a fan and a source of a single fragrance,

FIG. 38 is a similar view to FIG. 37 but with the source having twofragrances,

FIG. 39 is a schematic view of a fifth form of fragrance disperserincluding two sources of fragrance dispersed by heat and a controlsystem,

FIG. 40 is a similar view to FIG. 39 but showing an alternative methodof dispersing the fragrances by heat,

FIG. 41 is a schematic view of a fragrance disperser of any of the kindsshown in FIGS. 1 to 4 or FIGS. 10 to 19 or FIGS. 27 to 31 and mounted ona vertical surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4, the fragrance disperser is formed by ahousing 10, a fan 11 and a fragrance source 12.

The housing 10, which may be formed of any suitable material such asmetal or plastics, is formed by a back wall 13, a side wall 14 and afront cover 15 (seen in FIG. 3). The back wall 13 is generallyrectangular with parallel side edges 16 interconnected at one end by astraight lower end edge 17 and at the other end by a generallysemi-circular end edge 18. The side wall 14 extends around the sideedges 16 and the semi-circular upper end edge 18. The portion of theside wall 14 extending around the upper end edge 18 has an interiorsurface 19 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) formed by two-part spirals that meet atthe apex of the end edge 18 and increase in radius from that point. Thisportion of the housing contains the fan 11 which is connected to a motor21 by a drive shaft 22 (see FIG. 3). The motor 21 is connected to, andcontrolled by, a control board 23 mounted on the back wall 13.

The fragrance source 12 is also carried by the back wall 13 below thefan 11. The construction of this fragrance source 12 will be describedin more detail below.

The front of the housing 10 is closed by the front cover 15 seen inFIGS. 3 and 4. The cover 15 has generally the same shape as the backwall 13 but is provided with an air inlet 26 aligned with the fan 11. Inaddition, as seen in FIG. 3, the cover is provided with an inwardlyslanted wall 27 and a central divider 28. With particular reference toFIGS. 3 and 4, the wall 27 and the divider 28 form a pair ofside-by-side ducts 29 a, 29 b that converge as they extend away from thefan 11 and terminate in respective outlets one of which is shown at 30in FIG. 3. The position of the divider 28 in relation to the fragrancesource 12 will be discussed below.

The fragrance source 12 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 5 and 6.Referring to those Figures, the fragrance source 12 comprises a backsheet 31 which is of generally rectangular shape and may be formed, forexample, from a plastics laminate. The back sheet 31 is provided with alateral fold line 32 which divides the back sheet 31 into a main portion33 and a flap 34. The end of the flap 34 is provided with a tab 35 andthe surface of the flap on the inner side of the fold line 32 isprovided with two adhesive frames 36 whose function will be describedbelow.

First and second strips 37 a, 37 b of wick material are placed on theinner surface of the main portion 33 of the back sheet 31. Each strip ofwick material 37 a, 37 b is of elongate rectangular shape providedtowards one end with a pair of inwardly directed registering notches 39a, 39 b whose function will be described below. As seen in FIG. 6, thefirst and second strips 37 a, 37 b are arranged side-by-side andparallel to one another.

The first and second strips 37 a, 37 b are covered by a front sheet 40that may also be of a plastics laminate and is the same size as the mainportion 33 of the back sheet 31. The front sheet 40 is formed towardsone edge with two windows 41 a, 41 b. Each window is in register with arespective shorter portion of an associated one of the first and secondstrips 37 a, 37 b between the notches 39 a, 39 b and the adjacent end ofthe associated strip 37 a, 37 b. Of course, the front sheet 40 may beformed in one-piece with the back sheet 31, extending from the edge ofthe back sheet 31 opposite the fold line 32.

The front sheet 40, when not formed in one-piece with the back sheet, isthen connected to the back sheet along lines 42,43,44 by, for example,welding or gluing. The first connection line 42 is a rectangular lineextending around the peripheries of the main portion 33 and the frontsheet 40 and thus forms a closed chamber between these parts 33,40. Thesecond connection line 43 is a longitudinal line which extends along thegap between the first and second strips 37 a, 37 b thus sub-dividing themain chamber to form separate chambers each containing a respectivestrip 37 a, 37 b. The third connection line 44 is a lateral lineextending between the side edges of the main portion 33 and the frontsheet 40 with the line 44 extending into the notches 39 a, 39 b andbeing interrupted between the notches 39 a, 39 b. Thus, each sub-chambercontaining an associated strip 37 a, 37 b is divided into a largerportion and a smaller portion separated by a neck with the smallerportion underlying an associated window 41 a, 41 b.

Each larger portion of each sub-chamber is filled with a respectivedifferent liquid fragrance. The flap 34 is folded over the windows 41 a,41 b with the adhesive frames 36 sealing around the peripheries of thewindows 41 a, 41 b to close the windows 41 a, 41 b. Finally, an undersurface of the back sheet 31 is mounted on a source of electric power45. This may be a flat dry cell battery.

In use, the fragrance source 12 is opened by pulling the tab 35 to openthe peelable seal formed by the adhesive frames 36. The fragrance source12 is then mounted in the housing 10 as briefly described above. In thisposition, the windows 41 a, 41 b are, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, adjacentthe outlets 30 with the divider 28 extending along the longitudinalconnecting line 43 so that each window 41 a, 41 b is in a respectiveduct 29 a, 29 b. Each fragrance wicks to the associated window 41 a, 41b at a rate controlled both by the characteristics of the strips 37 a,37 b and the gaps between the notches 39 a, 39 b. The source of electricpower 45 includes contacts which connect the source of electric power 45to the control system 23 for the motor 21 of the fan 11.

The motor 21 operates when connected to the source of electric power 45and the fan 11 rotates in, for example, the clockwise direction shown inFIG. 1. This produces an air flow through the duct 29 a associated withthe first window 41 a and so conveys the associated fragrance to thesurrounding atmosphere. The convergence of the duct 29 a towards theassociated outlet 30 increases the speed of the air as it passes acrossthe window 41 a.

After a period of time, the control system 23 reverses the direction ofrotation of the fan 11 so that it rotates in an anti-clockwise directionas shown in FIG. 2. The effect of this is to pass air along the duct 29b and across the window 41 b so releasing the associated fragrancethrough the outlet 30 into the surrounding atmosphere.

Referring next to FIG. 7, this shows one mode of operation of the fan 11under the control of the control system 23. T1 is the time for which thefan 11 rotates in, for example, the clockwise direction. This time isdesigned to allow the concentration of the first fragrance to reach amaximum. The dwell period T2 is designed to allow the first fragrance todisperse before the second fragrance is emitted. T3 is the time forwhich the fan rotates in, for example, an anti-clockwise direction toemit the second fragrance and allow it to reach a maximum and T4 is thedwell period that allows the second fragrance to disperse. The time forwhich each wick is inactive allows the fragrance to wick to theassociated window for immediate evaporation when the wick becomesactive. As will be seen, these intervals need not be equal. They may bevaried depending on the fragrance. There is a known phenomenon calledolfactory fatigue where, after a time a person smelling a fragrance at astable concentration becomes unaware of the smell. This time varies fromfragrance to fragrance and the intervals mentioned above may be adjustedin accordance with those times. In addition, the time intervals may beable to be manually adjusted by the user. Further, the control systemcould be programmed to accommodate small or large rooms or to provide abooster fragrance on demand.

The timing may be altered for different sized rooms in a number ofdifferent ways. For example, for a larger sized room, it may bedesirable to increase the on times T1, T3 for fragrances 1 and 2 whilstleaving the off times T2, T4 (the dwell periods) unchanged.Alternatively, the cycle could be altered by leaving the on times T1, T3unchanged but shortening the dwell periods T2, T4. Another possibilityis to increase both the on and off times whilst keeping the on/off ratiounchanged. Similarly for smaller rooms it may be desirable to reduce theon times T1, T3 only, or to increase the dwell periods T2, T4 only, orto shorten both whilst maintaining the same ratio.

When the fragrance source 12 is finished, it can be replaced by a newfragrance source 12 on an associated source of electric power 45. Thepower of the source 45 is matched to the volume of fragrance so thatwhen the power of the source is running low the amount of fragranceremaining is also running low. The control system 23 may monitor batterypower and provide an indication when the power is running low soproviding an indication that the fragrance is close to exhaustion andrequires replacement. The indication may be a visual indicationprovided, for example, by an LED on the housing 10.

A second form of fragrance source for use with the fragrance disperserof FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The second fragrance source46 is formed by a rectangular back sheet 47 which may be of a plasticslaminate and a similar shaped front sheet 48 of the same material. Twovalve inserts 49 a, 49 b are also provided. Each valve insert 49 a, 49 bis formed by a short section of tube 50 a, 50 b and a pair ofdiametrically opposed outwardly extending wings 51 a, 51 b. Each tube 50a, 50 b contains a pierceable seal (not shown).

The back sheet 47 is placed beneath the front sheet 48 with the valveinserts 49 a, 49 b spaced apart along registering edges of the sheets47,48. The sheets 47,48 are then connected together along lines 53,54by, for example, welding or gluing. The first line 53 extends around theperipheries of the back sheet 47 and the front sheet 48 and alsoconnects to the wings 51 a, 51 b and the tubes 50 a, 50 b of the valveinserts 49 a, 49 b. The second line 54 is a longitudinal line extendingbetween the edge of the sheets 47,48 including the valve inserts 49 a,49 b and the opposite edge. The back sheet 47 and the front sheet 48thus form between them a chamber which is sub-divided by thelongitudinal line into two sub-chambers. Each chamber contains anassociated different liquid fragrance.

The second fragrance source 46 also includes two inserts 55 a, 55 b.Each insert 55 a, 55 b is formed by a generally rectangular area of wickmaterial and an elongate capillary connector 57 a, 57 b projecting fromthe associated wick material 56 a, 56 b.

In use, the seals 52 in the valve inserts 49 a, 49 b retain theassociated fragrance in the sub-chambers. When it is wished to use thesecond fragrance source, each capillary connector 57 a, 57 b is insertedthrough an associated seal of a valve insert 49 a, 49 b to reach thefragrances in the sub-chambers. The fragrances pass along the capillaryconnectors 57 a, 57 b to the associated wick materials 56 a, 56 b wherethey evaporate.

The second fragrance source 46 may be mounted and used with thefragrance disperser as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

Referring next to FIGS. 10 to 14, the second form of fragrance disperserhas parts common to the fragrance disperser of FIGS. 1 to 4. Those partswill be given the same reference numerals as the corresponding parts inFIGS. 1 to 4 and will not be described in detail.

In the second fragrance disperser, the fragrance is supplied by twocontainers 58 a, 58 b. Each container 58 a, 58 b is connected to thehousing 10 in a manner to be described below and includes a projectingwick 59 a, 59 b received in an associated shaped duct 60 a, 60 b formedin the housing 10.

Each container 58 a, 58 b is formed with a neck 61 a, 61 b surrounding amouth 62 a, 62 b. Each neck has an outwardly directing flange 63 a, 63 band the associated wick 59 a, 59 b extends out of each mouth 62 a, 62 b.The housing is formed at the lower end edge 17 with two apertures 64 a,64 b each for receiving the neck 61 of the associated container 58 a, 58b. As seen particularly in FIG. 14, each aperture 64 a, 64 b includes aretention mechanism for holding the associated container 58 a, 58 bconnected to the housing 10. The retention mechanism is formed by aninwardly directed projection 65 that extends under the flange 63 a, 63 bof the associated container 58 a, 58 b and a peg 66 that retractsagainst a spring 67 as the neck 61 a, 61 b is pushed into the associatedaperture 64 a, 64 b to allow the flange 63 a, 63 b to pass the peg 66and then is forced outwardly by the spring 67 to engage behind theflange 63 a, 63 b to hold the associated container 58 a, 58 b inposition.

Each shaped duct 60 a, 60 b extends from a respective side of the fan 11initially in a direction tangential to the fan 11. Then, as seen in FIG.14 the duct 60 a, 60 b turns through 90° to terminate in an outlet 68 a,68 b on the cover 15. As seen in FIGS. 11, 12 and 14, each wick 59 a, 59b extends along the associated duct 60 a, 60 b to terminate adjacent theperiphery of the fan 11. The fan 11 is associated with a shutter 69which is carried on the drive shaft 22 and includes an arcuate wall 70.As seen in FIG. 11, when the fan 11 rotates in a clockwise direction,the wall 70 of the shutter 69 closes the duct 60 b and leaves the duct60 a open so minimizing the volume of air leaving the duct 60 b. Whenthe fan 11 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction, the wall 70 of theshutter 69 closes the other duct 60 a leaving the duct 60 b open and sominimizing the volume of air leaving the duct 60 a.

The construction and operation of the shutter 69 will be described inmore detail below.

In use, the second fragrance disperser described above with reference toFIGS. 10 to 14, operates broadly as described above with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4. Air from the fan passes along one or other of the shapedducts 60 a, 60 b and evaporates fragrance from the associated wick 59 a,59 b which then passes out of the associated outlet 68 a, 68 b into thesurrounding atmosphere. The shape of the duct 60 a, 60 b ensures thatair from the fan 11 does not pass simply axially along the wicks 59 a,59 b. Rather, the shape of the ducts 60 a, 60 b results in acircumferential flow of air around the wicks 59 a, 59 b. This results inmore efficient evaporation of fragrance from the wicks 59 a, 59 b.

Power for the motor 21 is provided from an external power supply such asa battery (not shown) or a source of mains power.

When a container 58 a, 58 b is empty, it can be released from theretention mechanism and replaced by a fresh container.

Referring now to FIG. 15, parts common to FIG. 15 on the one hand andFIGS. 10 to 14 on the other hand will be given the same referencenumerals and will not be described in detail. In this arrangement thehousing 10 is provided with three control buttons 111,112,113. Onpressing the button 111, the timing protocol is altered to be suitablefor smaller rooms. Pressing the button 112 alters the timing protocol tobe suitable for larger rooms. Pressing the button 113 alters the timingprotocol for a set limited period of time. For that limited period oftime, the volume of fragrance emitted is increased. This provides aboost of fragrance. Alternatively, instead of changing the time periodsfor which the fan 11 operates, the speed of the fan 11 could beincreased or decreased to alter the volume of fragrance emitted. Thiscould be achieved by the varying power supplied to the motor.

Other means for controlling the volume of fragrance emitted will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19, in which parts common toFIGS. 10 to 15 on the one hand and to FIGS. 16 to 19 on the other handwill be given the same reference numerals and will not be described indetail.

Referring first to FIGS. 16 and 17, the size of each duct opening 68 a,68 b is controlled by a respective shutter assembly 210 a, 210 b. Eachassembly 210 a, 210 b comprises a shutter 211 a, 211 b to which isconnected a peg 212 a, 212 b which is slidably movable in a verticalslot 213 a, 213 b in the front cover 15 of the disperser, such that whenthe peg 212 a, 212 b is at the top of the slot 213 a, 213 b the shutteris in a fully open position and the duct opening 68 a, 68 b is a maximumsize, and when the peg is at the bottom of the slot the shutter is in afully closed position and the duct opening is a minimum size. This maycorrespond to completely closing off the duct opening 68 a, 68 b.

Each shutter assembly 210 a, 210 b may be controlled independently tocontrol the relative volumes of each fragrance emitted. In FIG. 16, bothshutters 211 a, 211 b are shown in the fully open position, and therespective pegs 212 a, 212 b can be seen at the top of each respectiveassociated slot 213 a, 213 b. In FIG. 17, the right-hand shutterassembly 210 a is shown in an intermediate position, the shutter 211 apartially restricting the associated duct opening 68 a to reduce thevolume of fragrance emitted from the associated container 58 a. In thesame Figure, the left-hand shutter assembly 210 b is in the fully openposition. Thus, for a given fan speed, or a given time for which the fan11 is operational, a greater proportion of fragrance will be emittedfrom container 58 b than from container 58 a.

As described above, each shutter assembly is adjusted manually by meansof the respective peg 212 a, 212 b. Alternatively, the shutters 211 a,211 b may be controlled electronically, in which case the pegs 212 a,212 b and the slots 213 a, 213 b may be disposed of.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, the exposed surface area of each wick59 a, 59 b is controlled by a respective wick cover assembly 220 a, 220b. Each wick cover assembly 220 a, 220 b comprises a cap 221 a, 221 b, acover 222 a, 222 b and a slider 223 a, 223 b. The cap 221 a, 221 b issubstantially cylindrical and is mounted on the upper surface of theassociated wick 59 a, 59 b and includes at its lower end an annularshoulder 224. The cover 222 a, 222 b is substantially cylindrical andincludes at each of its upper and lower ends an inwardly projectingannular lip 225 and 226 respectively. The slider 223 a, 223 b is alsosubstantially cylindrical and includes at its upper end an annularshoulder 227 and near its lower end and a horizontally projecting peg228 a, 228 b. The peg 228 a, 228 b is slidably movable in a verticalslot (not shown) in the side wall 14 of the disperser. The slider 223 a,223 b is slidably mounted on the associated wick 59 a, 59 b and isconnected to the cover 222 a, 222 b in the region of the annularshoulder 227 of the slider and the lower annular lip 226 of the cover.In this way, the cover 222 a, 222 b is slid over the cap 221 a, 221 b byvirtue of a corresponding sliding movement of the slider 223 a, 223 bover the wick 59 a, 59 b, which is, in turn, controlled manually bysliding the associated peg 228 a, 228 b within its associated slot. Thecover 222 a, 222 b and the slider 223 a, 223 b could alternatively becombined as a single part.

In a first position, corresponding to that shown for both wick coverassemblies 220 a, 220 b in FIG. 18 and for the right-hand wick coverassembly 220 a in FIG. 19, the slider 223 a, 223 b is in an upperposition in which the annular shoulder 227 of the slider 223 a, 223 babuts the annular shoulder 224 of the cap 221 a, 221 b. In thisposition, the cover 222 a, 222 b substantially entirely overlaps the cap221 a, 221 b, and the associated wick 59 a, 59 b is thus exposed to amaximum extent.

In a second position, corresponding to that shown for the left-hand wickcover assembly 220 b in FIG. 19, the slider 223 b is in a lower positionin which the upper lip 225 of the cover 222 b abuts the annular shoulder224 of the cap 221 b. In this position, the cover 222 b extends beyondthe cap 221 b and covers a portion of the wick 59 b. In this secondposition, the wick is thus exposed to a minimum extent, and for a givenfan speed or a given time for which the fan 11 is operational, a lesserproportion of fragrance will be emitted than when the wick coverassembly 220 a, 220 b is in the first position, by virtue of the reducedexposed wick surface area. The sliders 223 a, 223 b may be positionedintermediate the first and second positions, and each is independentlycontrollable to control the relative volumes of fragrance emitted fromeach respective container 58 a, 58 b.

As with the shutter assemblies 210 a, 210 b of FIGS. 16 and 17, controlof the wick cover assemblies 220 a, 220 b need not be manual. Indeed, itmay be automatic, or electronic, in either case there being no need forthe provision of the pegs 228 a, 228 b and their associated slots in theside wall 14.

Referring next to FIGS. 20 and 21, the disperser of FIGS. 10 to 14 maybe modified so that the operation of the disperser is varied inaccordance with information derived from the associated containers 58 a,58 b. Parts common to FIGS. 20 and 21 on the one hand and to FIGS. 10 to14 on the other hand are given the same reference numerals and are notdescribed in detail. In this arrangement, the flange 63 a, 63 b on theneck 61 a, 61 b of each container 58 a, 58 b is provided with a peg 109.When the container 58 a, 58 b is engaged with the housing 10, the peg109 engages an associated microswitch 110. The microswitch 110 passes asignal to the control system 23 that modifies the operation of thecontrol system 23. For example, when a signal is received from themicroswitch, the relevant cycle times may be altered in comparison withthe cycle times when the peg 109 is absent.

Other arrangements are possible. For example, the container may includea readable microchip or bar code that provides information to thecontrol system 23 for adjusting the operation of the fan 11.

Referring next additionally to FIGS. 22 to 25, these Figures illustratevarious modes of operation of the shutter 69. As seen in FIG. 23, theshutter 69 comprises a generally frusto-conical portion 71 with thenarrower end closed by an end wall 72. The drive shaft 22 passes throughthis end wall and is coaxial with the axis of the frusto-conical portion71. A peripheral flange 73 extends outwardly of and around the wider endof the frusto-conical portion 71 and the wall 70 extends around aportion of this flange 73. In order to counter balance the wall 70, thediametrically opposite portion of the flange 73 may be thickened so thatthe shutter 69 is in static balance around the drive shaft 22.

In its simplest form of operation, the shutter 69 may be rotated only bythe air flow generated by the fan 11. When the fan 11 is rotating in ananti-clockwise direction, there will be a corresponding anti-clockwiseflow of air and, due to the balance of the shutter 69, this may besufficient to rotate the shutter to the position shown in FIG. 11.Likewise, when the fan 11 rotates in a clockwise direction, there is acorresponding clockwise rotation of air which moves the shutter 69 tothe position shown in FIG. 12.

There may, however, be cases where this movement cannot be achievedreliably by the use of air alone. In this case, and referring to FIG.23, in an alternative arrangement, a felt washer 74 and a crimped washer75 are provided on the drive shaft 22 between the end wall 72 of theshutter 69 and a mounting boss 76 of the fan 11 which is connected todrive shaft 22. In this arrangement, when the motor 21 rotates in onedirection, the rotational movement of the fan 11 is transmittedfrictionally by the washer 74, 75 to the shutter 69 so rotating theshutter 69 in the same sense as the fan. The arrangement works inwhichever direction the motor 21 is rotated.

Another possibility is shown in FIGS. 24, 25 and 26. In thisarrangement, the fan 11 carries a first clutch part 77 shown in FIG. 25.This clutch part 77 includes three arcuate arms 78 which, as the fan 11rotates, move from the full line position shown in FIG. 25 outwardly tothe dotted line position shown in that Figure. The shutter 69 includes asecond clutch part 79 (see FIG. 26) which includes three outwardlydirected equi-angularly spaced projections 80. When the arms 78 are inthe full line position shown in FIG. 25, they engage these projections80 so locking the first and second clutch parts 77,79 together and thusrotating the shutter 69 with the fan 11. As the speed of the fan 11increases, the arms 78 move to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 25where they are disengaged from the projections 80 so allowing the fan 11to rotate independently of the shutter 69 with the shutter 69 beingmaintained in position by air flow (and possibly friction).

It will be appreciated that these are only some of the ways in which theshutter 69 can be moved. Other ways are possible.

Referring next to FIGS. 27 to 31, the third fragrance disperser hasparts common with the second fragrance disperser of FIGS. 10 to 14.Those common parts will be given the same reference numerals and theirconstruction and operation will not be described in detail.

The third fragrance disperser includes two fragrance sources 81 a, 81 bin which the wick is surrounded by an outlet formed by part of thesource.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 28 and 29, each fragrance source 81 a,81 b includes a container 82 a, 82 b holding a liquid fragrance andincluding an integral outlet 83 a, 83 b. Each outlet 83 a, 83 b isformed at its end remote from the container 82 a, 82 b with an entrance84 a, 84 b and, at a point in the outlet 83 a, 83 b adjacent theassociated container 82 a, 82 b, each outlet 83 a, 83 b is formed withan exit 85 a, 85 b (see FIG. 30). As seen in FIGS. 27 and 30, theseexits 85 a, 85 b are aligned with respective apertures 86 a, 86 b in thecover 15 of the housing 10. Each outlet 83 a, 83 b contains an upperportion of an elongate strip shaped wick 87 a, 87 b whose lower end isimmersed in the fragrance in the container 82 a, 82 b. Each outlet is asnap fit in an associated shaped duct 60 a, 60 b of the housing 10.

In use, rotation of the fan 11 in a clockwise direction produces an airflow which is forced through the first duct 60 a and enters the entrance84 a of the outlet 83 a of the associated fragrance source 81 a. The airthen passes over and around the wick 87 a releasing fragrance which thenpasses through the exit 85 a and through the aperture 86 a of the cover15 to the surrounding atmosphere. Anti-clockwise rotation of the fan 11produces, as seen in FIG. 25, a flow of air through the entrance 84 b ofthe outlet 83 b, past the associated wick 87 b and then through the exit85 b and the cover aperture 86 b.

The cover apertures 86 a, 86 b may be provided with respective shutterassemblies as described above with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17.

When a fragrance source 81 a, 81 b is empty, it can be replaced by afresh fragrance source.

In this embodiment, the wick 87 a, 87 b is packaged within and protectedby the outlet 83 a, 83 b. The air duct is part of the fragrance source81 a, 81 b and is thus a consumable. Each wick 87 a, 87 b may beprovided with a wick cover assembly similar to those described abovewith reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, but adapted for consumable fragrancesources.

Referring next to FIGS. 32, 33 and 34, there is shown a fragrance sourceof a kind for use with the third form of fragrance disperser describedabove with reference to FIGS. 27 to 31. The fragrance source is formedby a container 88 comprising a reservoir 89 and an outlet 90. The partsmay be formed from any suitable material such as a plastics material orglass. As seen in FIG. 34, the outlet 90 is formed at its end remotefrom the reservoir 89 with an entrance 91 and, at a point in the outlet90 adjacent the reservoir 89, the outlet 90 is formed with an exit 92. Awick 93 leads from the reservoir 89 and terminates in the outlet 90adjacent the entrance 91.

The reservoir 89 contains a fragrance. A shaped cap 94 covers the outlet90.

This container 88 can be used with the fragrance disperser of FIGS. 27to 31. The cap 94 is removed and the outlet 90 inserted into the housing10. Air is then passed through the outlet 90 via the entrance 91 asdescribed above. The air then leaves via the exit 92.

It will be seen from FIGS. 27 to 31, that, when mounted on the housing10, the fragrance sources 81 a, 81 b are side-by-side. It will beappreciated that these two fragrance sources 81 a, 81 b, may containdifferent fragrances. Not all pairs of fragrances are perceived by thenose as being complementary and it is plainly desirable to avoidcombinations that are perceived as non-complementary.

Proposals for overcoming this are shown in FIGS. 35 and 36.

Referring first to FIG. 35, two containers 88 a, 88 b are provided ofthe kind described above with reference to FIGS. 32 to 34. A firstcontainer 88 a is provided with a surface pattern 95 that forms acontinuous pattern with a corresponding pattern 96 on the secondcontainer 88 b, with the pattern being continuous across the junctionbetween adjacent side surfaces 97 a, 97 b of the containers 88 a, 88 b.These containers 88 a, 88 b are arranged to contain complementaryfragrances (i.e. fragrances that are complementary in an olfactorysense) and any container containing a non-complementary fragrance has adifferent pattern which does not match the pattern of either of thecontainers in FIG. 30. Thus, if a container including anon-complementary fragrance is used with one of the containersillustrated in FIG. 30, the lack of matching pattern will be readilyapparent. It will be appreciated that this effect need not be providedby a raised pattern. Inset patterns may be used or simply print effects.

Another possibility is provided by the arrangement of FIG. 36. In thisFigure, one side surface 97 a of one container 88 a has a non-planarshape which is complementary with a non-planar shape of the side surface97 b of the other container 88 b containing a complementary fragrance sothat the side surfaces 97 a, 97 b interlock when the containers 88 a, 88b are placed side-by-side in the housing 10. Containers holdingnon-complementary fragrances are provided with different side surfaceconfigurations and so will not be able to interlock and will thus not beable to be used.

The use of a fan to disperse fragrance need not be confined to thedispersal of two fragrances. Referring next to FIG. 37, a fourth form offragrance disperser is formed by a housing 98 including a chamber havingan inner wall 99 formed as a spiral of increasing radius and leading toan outlet 100 extending tangentially from the wall 99. A fan 101 ismounted in the housing 98 and is driven by a motor (not shown). Theoutlet contains a fragrance source 102 which may be formed by a half ofthe fragrance source described above with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.The window 41 a lies within the outlet 100 and rotation of the fanpasses air across the window 41 a to evaporate the fragrance.

In this embodiment, the fan 101 rotates in one direction only and so canbe designed to be of high efficiency. The motor is controlled by amanually operated switch to give fragrance on demand. The motor ispowered by a source of electric power of the kind described above withreference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

A variation of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 38. Parts common to FIG.37 and to FIG. 38 are given the same reference numerals and are notdescribed in detail.

In the embodiment of FIG. 38, the fragrance source is identical to thefragrance source of FIGS. 5 and 6 with both windows 41 a, 41 b beingwithin the outlet 100. The two fragrances in the fragrance source arechosen to combine at the point of dispersion to give a desired singlefragrance. This arrangement is particularly useful where the desiredfragrance is formed of components that degrade if kept together. Bycombining them only at the point of dispersion, this degradation isavoided.

Of course, the fragrance source of FIGS. 8 and 9 could also be used witheither of these embodiments. Also, the size of the window 41 a, 41 b maybe controlled by an arrangement similar to that described above withreference to FIGS. 16 and 17.

Where two fragrances are to be evaporated alternately, the evaporationneed not be by a forced air flow. Referring next to FIG. 39, a fifthform of fragrance disperser includes two sources of fragrance 103 a, 103b. Each source 103 a, 103 b includes a container 104 a, 104 b and anassociated wick 105 a, 105 b projecting from the associated container104 a, 104 b. Each wick 105 a, 105 b is surrounded by an associatedheater 106 a, 106 b. Each heater 106 a, 106 b is connected to a controlboard 107 which in turn is connected to an external power supply (notshown). The control board passes current to the heaters 106 a, 106 b inaccordance with a predetermined programme. As each heater receivescurrent, its temperature rises and this in turn evaporates fragrancefrom the associated wick 105 a, 105 b. The control board may be arrangedto provide a cycle of evaporation similar to that shown in FIG. 7. Inaddition, controls may be provided for different timing protocols asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 15. Also, varying the powersupply varies the temperature of the heater and thus the volume offragrance evaporated.

An alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 40. Parts common to FIGS. 39and 40 are given the same reference numerals and are not described indetail. In this embodiment, the heaters 106 a, 106 b are omitted and thewicks 108 a, 108 b are formed of or include an electrically conductivematerial which is connected to the control board 107. Accordingly, whenelectrical current is supplied to either wick 108 a, 108 b, thetemperature of the wick is raised to evaporate fragrance.

Any of the fragrance dispersers described above with reference to FIGS.1 to 4 or 10 to 19 or 27 to 31 may be mounted on a wall. Referring nextto FIG. 41, parts common to those Figures and to FIG. 41 will not bedescribed in detail and will be given the same reference numerals.Referring to FIG. 41, the cover 15 is continuous with the air inlet 26omitted. Instead, an air inlet 114 is provided on the back wall 13. Inaddition, an electrical connector 115 projects from the back wall 13 andincludes pins, one of which is shown at 116 received in an electricalsocket on a vertical surface 117 such as a wall to support the fragrancedisperser and provide electrical power. The location of the air inlet114 is a safety feature since it prevents, for example, fingers beinginserted into the path of the fan 11.

1. A fragrance container that is insertable into a fragrance dispenser,the fragrance container comprising: a reservoir for holding a fragrance;and an outlet member integral with and extending from the reservoir,wherein the outlet member includes an entrance and an exit defining apath for airflow through the outlet member; wherein air flows along thepath by entering the entrance of the outlet member and exiting the exitof the outlet member with fragrance entrained in the air.
 2. Thefragrance container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the entrance of theoutlet member is farther from the reservoir than the exit of the outletmember.
 3. The fragrance container as claimed in claim 1, furtherincluding a surrounding fragrance dispenser.
 4. The fragrance containeras claimed in claim 3, wherein the airflow is created by a fan disposedwithin the fragrance dispenser.
 5. The fragrance container as claimed inclaim 4, wherein an aperture disposed within a wall of the fragrancedispenser is disposed adjacent the exit of the outlet member such thatair can flow out the exit and subsequently flow out the aperture.
 6. Afragrance container that is insertable into a fragrance dispenser, thefragrance container comprising: a reservoir for holding a fragrance; andan outlet member integral with and extending from the reservoir, whereinthe outlet member includes an entrance and an exit defining a path forairflow through the outlet member; wherein air flows along the path byentering the entrance of the outlet member, exiting the exit of theoutlet member, and subsequently exiting an aperture disposed in a wallof the fragrance dispenser, wherein the aperture is disposed adjacentthe exit of the outlet member.
 7. The fragrance container as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the entrance of the outlet member is farther from thereservoir than the exit of the outlet member.
 8. The fragrance containeras claimed in claim 6, wherein the airflow is created by a fan disposedin the fragrance dispenser.
 9. The fragrance container as claimed inclaim 8, wherein the fragrance container is inserted into a housing ofthe fragrance dispenser to allow the flow of air from the fan to theentrance of the outlet member.
 10. The fragrance container as claimed inclaim 9, wherein the outlet member is snap fit with the dispenser. 11.The fragrance container as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fragrancedispenser includes a duct for the passage of air from the fan andwherein the outlet member is received in the duct.
 12. A volatilematerial dispenser comprising: first and second reservoirs for holdingvolatile materials; and first and second outlet members integral withand extending from the first and second reservoirs, respectively,wherein the first and second outlet members include first and secondentrances and first and second exits defining first and second paths forairflow through the first and second outlet members, respectively;wherein air flows along the first and second paths by entering the firstand second entrances of the first and second outlet members,respectively, and exiting the first and second exits of the first andsecond outlet members, respectively, with volatile material entrained inthe air.
 13. The volatile material dispenser as claimed in claim 12,further including a fan for creating the first and second airflows. 14.The volatile material dispenser as claimed in claim 13, wherein thefirst and second airflows are separate and air flows through only one ofthe first and second paths at any given time.
 15. The volatile materialdispenser as claimed in claim 12, further including a housing in whichthe outlet members are snap fit.
 16. The volatile material dispenser asclaimed in claim 12, further including a housing having first and secondapertures which are disposed adjacent the first and second exits of thefirst and second outlet members, respectively, such that air can flowout the first and second exits and subsequently flow out the first andsecond apertures.
 17. The volatile material dispenser as claimed inclaim 12, wherein the volatile materials are fragrances.